Whether he's under a truck fixing the transmission or on stage singing to millions, Rex Goudie knows success doesn't come unless you work hard. And no matter where he is, be it in Burlington, NL or in Toronto, Goudie seems to keep his life in perspective with mechanical and musical analogy.

The part-time mechanic, who tinkers with heavy-duty machines such as tractor-trailers and loaders, believes that in both work and music, everything must be working perfect.

"If I put a tire on a truck and I don't tighten everything up, the tire comes off the truck. The truck goes into the ditch. Who's to blame? Me," explains Goudie in his thick, rhythmic accent.

"If I get on stage and bomb and people don't want me and they don't come for tickets anymore, who's to blame? Me."

But the 19-year-old doesn't have to worry about flying truck tires for a while. Right now, he can just take a moment and enjoy being a Canadian Idol Top 10 finalist.

After wowing the judges with his gutsy performance of Blue Rodeo's "After the Rain," Goudie received a rousing endorsement that was evidently shared by millions of voters who picked the singer to move on to the final round of competition.

"That really fried my mind altogether," says the charismatic singer who braced for some bad feedback after his song.

"I was 'hat-boy'. I figured that would be the end of it. I mean [Zack] called me hat-boy in the Top 100 competition."

So will he continue to wear his now-famous white baseball cap? Goudie says he'll try to hang on to it as long as he can.

"It's getting pretty ratty now. When it comes apart I'll probably take it off or buy a new one," he says. "I'm not really comfortable without the hat. It's just a little security blanket that I've got."

With some free time before the big showdown, Goudie will get a chance to celebrate the victory with his excited older brother.

"I can't wait to see him when I get home. He didn't think I could do it at first, when I started going on. He just laughed at me," he says. "When I made Top 32 he was overjoyed. Now, I'd say he's going out of his mind."

Goudie says he'll probably be slipping under a truck again to help his brother replace a transmission. Or maybe it's just an excuse to wax philosophical as he wrenches away at the hunk of metal.

"You're there and you're thinking this could come down on me. It's just like Canadian Idol; the whole thing could come crashing down at anytime."

Eye on Idol